outage

[ou-tij]

noun

1. an interruption or failure in the supply of power, especially electricity.

2. the period during which power is lost.

   a two-hour outage on the East Coast.

3. a stoppage in the functioning of a machine or mechanism due to a failure in the supply of power or electricity.

4. the quantity of goods lost or lacking from a shipment.

5. Aeronautics.,  the amount of fuel used during a flight.

outage

/ ˈaʊtɪdʒ /

noun

1. a quantity of goods missing or lost after storage or shipment

2. a period of power failure, machine stoppage, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of outage¹

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; out + -age

Example Sentences

Verizon customers reported service outages across Los Angeles County after vandalism of fiber optic cables, a spokesperson for the company said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Their efforts were complicated by widespread power outages, heavy rain and dozens of aftershocks.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

One involved an energy-market simulation, where students had to navigate supply shortages and power outages to maximize profits.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He remembers one day when Instagram had an outage and his classmates at school got very stressed out.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The president assured those at the dialogue that ongoing power projects would address the recurring outages by adding 265 megawatts to the national grid.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• blackout 
• brownout 
• disruption 
• interruption